@Background Pony #B04E
 

 
What does “pretty much confirmed” even mean? Is this your headcanon, or do you actually have concrete evidence to prove it beyond the shadow of a doubt?

@Vree  
Actually her original Mane style was so she would look older than she actually is.

@tehwatever  
Actually, it’s pretty much confirmed that Starlight is younger.

@Cirrus Light  
I can buy the idea of Starlight being older but I don’t see it as something too drastic of an age gap. Possibly somewhere between 2 to 5 years.

@A Non Man  
She just sounds a lot older to a lot of people, myself included.

@genervt
 
Yeah, or maybe Starlight is younger by only a year or two. But I don’t buy this notion that Starlight’s, like, ten years older. She really strikes me as having run away from home as a teen, wandered around, and then started her town when she was about 19 or 20. Right now, she strikes me as being about 22.

@A Non Man  
I think they are about the same age

@Vree  
It’s certainly a very valid way of looking at her, but I just don’t agree with this view that Starlight is older than Twilight. There’s no evidence of that.

@Vree  
Starlight’s rebel steak is also pretty fresh and great in their conformist society, as School Daze illustrated really well.
 
I really like this analysis. Very thoughtful and observant.

@Vree  
Interesting; you make a decently convinving argument there, but I don’t agree with the ego-stroking thing.
 
I myself already suspect TS to be so fond of SG because she is more or less her equal and by that I even mean that TS expects SG to challenge her even in leadership issues. Never once did FiM shows SG to be obedient to TS the way TS is obedient to Celestia.
 
TS & SG work together when their objectives align and when SG lets Twilight take charge.
 
SG adores TS, but as equals. She holds TS to a standard that is different from the standard that most others hold TS to.
 
SG’s been working with and fought against TS. SG knows TS is not invincible, which is why she has no problem regularly clashing horns with her.
 
SG might recognize TS’ leadership as Princess of Friendship and also her mentor, but SG doesn’t see TS as her leader. TS on the other hand, sees SG as a chance to let loose. A chance to just be a pony–and not a princess (because we all know titles and fame dont mean as much to SG as they do to most other ponies).

@A Non Man  
I wouldn’t go that far, more like a lucky matching with TS’ needs.  
Which is how rl bff/love relationships are really.  
The other mane 6 are good friends of her because they are willing to spend the effort to understand her, to tolerate her and to work with her.  
But we all have this drive to find people who are naturally similar to us, who just “get” something we do and can skip the whole effort of explaining and convincing.  
Twilight needs someone who is A. her equal magical talent-wise and can keep up with her and B. will praise her, feed her ego when it comes to leadership, and she finds those both in Starlight.
 
I guess I should write a bigger piece in the “Starlight opinion” thread on this other idea I mentioned but I feel like they very much represent a cynical adult who feels like they are taken over by that cynicism and trying to reconnect with an inner child; that’d be Starlight.  
And we have the sort of idealized “pure” child, that’s Twilight, who acts as a leader in that.  
Which is quite curious because of course, naivety, innocence, pureness is not entirely a virtue.
 
I feel like SG is the most socially aware/ mature character, save probably the royal sisters who even hide that side of themselves from ponies like they should feel ashamed about it (this is because Equestria runs on childlish idealism). Like in every scene she’s in she’s got that nervousness like she knows that there are biogger concerns there that can go wrong but tries not to break the spell. THe thing with STarlight is that she tried to act like an adult like manner once and feels like she may have taken it too fatr so she’s trying to re-learn innocence. But I kind of question this message. It’s fine until Equestria is in this hazy eternal infantilism which is of course it forever is, it’s like Neverland, but to grow up ponies will have to do thinngs like questioning authority, trying to fix bigger social issues, making mistzakes, not fear being evil, lying, misleading if neccessary, quit fearing mistakes and social rejection. Of course this kids’ show will always convey those childlish values of obedience and submission but bronies being adults better take heed.
 
Now then, Twilight - and you don’t have to agree with this interpretation obviously but,
 
Twilight’s been spoiled massively - and please don’t take this the wrong way because we are all defined by and often somewhat unaware of our surroundings and privileges. Intimate personal student to the god-empress of the land from a young age (who did everything to make her feel even more special), made a princess before even full adulthood, inner circle of friends to constantly compliment her. Twilight thinks the sub shines out of her bum not because she’s a bad girl, but because that’s what her enviroment told her her whole life.  
She’s basically a child who’s constantly paid lip service and her naive ways constantly works and she’s constantly encouraged to keep doing it, so she does and it’s not even wrong
 
So what she expects from others is this kind of unquestioning adoration that she’s used to but she doesn’t have the capacity to earn it on her own merits outside her safe friends zone. Then there’s magic which she IS good at but none of her friends truly give a damn about that, they have their own expertises/obsessions.
 
Now enter Starlight who’s not only an older pony so technically fits TS’ requirement for authority to bow down to her. The “teacher/master and student” is a huge compliment to TS’ ego. And she doesn’t normally have many places to get it, I mean that’s why she’s so obsessed with Celestia, she’s the only one who can be bothered to give her positive reaffirmation.  
At the same time, she’s the perfect magic study-buddy and that’s where their relationship has a side of true friendship. SG is a natural magic genius, as potent as TS so she’s really the only available person she feels can keep up. Moondancer might’ve enjoyed studying but my impression is that she wasn’t truly magically gifted, she had to work hard for it which is probably why TS dropped her without a 2nd thought (once when leaving Canterlot and a 2nd time when she wasn’t really motivated to relight an intimately close friendship).
 
So yeah, SG is perfect for her because 1. she’s a kindred soul that can keep up with her and 2. she can feel like the hero, the leader in their relationship. Which is all she knew and what she thinks is expected of her. She gets to meet social expectations she has in her mind while making it fun.

use the force

Teamwork.

@Background Pony #3C3C  
I prefer shipping Starlight with Sunburst or Trixie but even though I don’t ship her with Twilight, I can see the appeal of it.

(read this thread)  
I still think Starlight and Sunburst have a budding crush for each other

@tehwatever  
I rather like this interpretation.
 
It makes me feel better about my own dating prospects at college, hah. I also have a few friends like this. I’m a bit like Twilight in that it’s not often I find someone who can understand me on my level. If you’re different in a major way, it’s hard to find someone who you feel like really understands you, even if (or especially if!) the way you’re different is something extremely rare, like profound magical ability.

@mjangelvortex
 
The relationship wavers depending on who’s writing the script. Sometimes Twilight and Starlight are like close sisters (Fame and Misfortune, Shadow Play, Uncommon Bonds) and sometimes Twilight frets over her like a clingy mom (Celestial Advice, A Royal Problem). The thing is, Twilight is always shown as being Starlight’s main emotional support and giver of advice. This began to change in Shadow Play and really blossomed in School Daze, with a much more mature Starlight feeling secure enough to give Twilight advice.
 
The great thing about Starlight is that she’s a natural rule breaker, while Twilight values rules and doing things by the book. They balance off each other’s worst tendencies very nicely.

@tehwatever  
I mean, I can see what you’re saying in that the two of them can keep each other in check and test each others’ limits. I can agree with you a lot on what you said, I just can’t see the relationship being a “child teaching an adult.”
 
And true, Twilight has put a lot of time and effort into Starlight. But I’d like to think part of the reason they can’t let go is not out the project side of things but rather because they both kind of see each other as family. I honestly think Starlight sees Twilight and Spike as a surrogate family to her. I think the Celestial Advice episode kind of showed that off pretty well. The fans view Celestia and Twilight’s relationship similar to a familial one and the episode kind of made it seem like Twilight and Starlight’s relationship is rather similar. I wouldn’t call Starlight’s relationship with Twilight (or Spike) as a mother/child one like people do with Celestia’s relationship with Twilight (and Spike) but rather that of siblings if that makes sense. The dynamic Twilight, Spike, and Starlight have with each other feels rather sibling like to me.

@mjangelvortex  
But I do. I sort of agree with Vree on this one. Twilight is REALLY fond of Starlight, to the point she can’t let her go. I think this is due to Twilight’s love for magic and she now has found a pony who is more or less on her level. Someone she can test her limits with. Starlight also regularly challenges Twilight and keeps her on her toes and in check. This is something the Mane6 currently has not been able to give to Twilight.
 
Starlight is in a weird place because she’s not the Mane 6, and not exactly Spike. But this place means that she can SEE things that the Mane6 don’t see when it comes to Twilight. Reason being: Unlike the Mane6, Starlight actually fought Twilight, and she was the one pony who had to be convinced by Twilight’s words, rather than being blasted by Friendship Magic.
 
On Twilight’s side: Starlight was Twilight’s first REAL project, so Twilight really invested a lot of time and effort into Starlight. No wonder she can’t let her go.

@mjangelvortex
 
Especially since the actual words out of Starlight’s mouth to Sunburst was that her surrendering to Twilight had made her question everything she’d believed up to that point. She’s never shown any tendency to teach Twilight anything, except at the end of last season’s finale. And the thing she taught Twilight was “Stop not acting like yourself, Twilight.”

@A Non Man  
That’s what I was thinking as well. Nor did I get a “child teaches a grown-up” vibe from their relationship at all.

@mjangelvortex
 
Yeah, I mean, the vibe I always got is that the two of them just have genuine affection for each other; Starlight for Twi as a mentor who showed her mercy and Twilight for her as her student and friend. Starlight’s way too aggressive early on to be taken as “submissive” in any way.

@Vree  
…K? I never really got that vibe at all.

@Vree  
So… You see their relationship as some sort of dom/sub thing?